- Professor of Pediatrics at Harbor-UCLA
- Director, Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Facility at Harbor-UCLA LABiomed Research Institute
My area of research is in metabolic phenotyping or metabolic profiling. Metabolic profiling is part of bioinformatic research which is going to have significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Stable isotope (carbon 13 or deuterium) labeled lactate, glycerol and acetate are used to trace metabolic pathways for gluconeogenesis, glycogen synthesis, TCA cycle metabolism and lipid synthesis. The label in metabolic products such as amino acids, membrane lipids and necleic acids will be analyzed by mass spectrometry and determine the rate of conversion.
Currently, such techniques are applied to characterize the metabolic profile of mouse models of diabetes and to study the function of peroxisome, a cell body which is the alternative site for oxidation of fatty acids. Information from such studies can be used for evaluation of candidate drugs and efficacy of current treatments.